The Obama administration, rather than reacting defensively, should seize
the initiative by trying to control this behemoth. The paradox here is
that a smaller, better-controlled intelligence community will actually
make the country safer than the unmanaged sprawl we have now.

This is the real mission for the star-crossed Office of the Director of National
Intelligence (DNI), which was created in 2005 to bring order out of
the intelligence chaos. By picking the wrong fights and conducting turf
wars, the DNI has made some of these problems worse. The right model is
the Office of
Management and Budget -- a coordinating staff of experts that can
monitor budgets, personnel and performance.